Absorbent article

Abstract

A diaper (10) includes an absorbent assembly (20) including a topsheet (21), a backsheet (22), and an absorbent core (24), and has an article longitudinal direction (X) and an article lateral direction (Y). The absorbent core (24) is formed of a sheet-like article (1) including a plurality of absorbent units (4), each including a long base portion (2) and water-absorbent polymer particles (3). The sheet-like article (1) includes a plurality of unit portions arranged in the longitudinal direction (x1 direction), each unit portion including a plurality of the absorbent units (4) arranged side by side in the lateral direction (y1 direction). The sheet-like article (1) includes a pair of longitudinal joined regions (41, 41), a pair of lateral joined regions (42, 42), and intermediate lateral joined regions (43, 43). The sheet-like article (1) is joined to a constituent member adjacent thereto in the thickness direction (Z) at the pair of longitudinal joined regions (41, 41), the pair of lateral joined regions (42, 42), and the intermediate lateral joined regions (43, 43). Each unit portion includes a section in which neither the upper side nor the lower side thereof in the thickness direction (Z) is joined to the constituent member.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An absorbent article comprising an absorbent assembly including a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core interposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, the absorbent article having an article longitudinal direction extending from a front region to be arranged on a front side of a wearer toward a rear region to be arranged on a rear side of the wearer, and an article lateral direction orthogonal to the article longitudinal direction, wherein:
 the absorbent core is formed of a sheet-like article including a plurality of absorbent units, each of the plurality of absorbent units including 
 a long base portion having a lateral direction, a longitudinal direction that is longer than the lateral direction, and a thickness direction, and 
 water-absorbent polymer particles that are fixed to a surface of at least one face of the long base portion, 
 the absorbent units being arranged such that the absorbent unit's longitudinal direction is oriented in the article longitudinal direction; 
 the sheet-like article includes a plurality of unit portions arranged in the longitudinal direction, each of the plurality of unit portions including a plurality of the absorbent units arranged side by side in the lateral direction; 
 the sheet-like article includes 
 a pair of longitudinal joined regions extending in the longitudinal direction at respective lateral sides which are along the longitudinal direction, 
 a pair of lateral joined regions extending in the lateral direction at respective end portions in the longitudinal direction, and 
 an intermediate lateral joined region extending in the lateral direction between the lateral joined regions; and 
 the sheet-like article is joined at the longitudinal joined regions, the lateral joined regions, and the intermediate lateral joined region to a constituent member that constitutes the absorbent article and that is adjacent on at least either an upper side or a lower side in the thickness direction, and each of the unit portions includes a section in which neither the upper side nor the lower side thereof in the thickness direction is joined to the constituent member. 
 
     
     
       2. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the unit portions are arranged with a space therebetween in the longitudinal direction; 
 the intermediate lateral joined region is arranged between the unit portions that are adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction. 
 
     
     
       3. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein the water-absorbent polymer particles are not arranged in the longitudinal joined regions, the lateral joined regions, and the intermediate lateral joined region. 
     
     
       4. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal joined regions extend continuously in the longitudinal direction in the sheet-like article's respective lateral sides which are along the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
       5. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein a length, in the lateral direction, of the longitudinal joined region is greater than or equal to a length, in the lateral direction, of the long base portion. 
     
     
       6. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein a length, in the longitudinal direction, of the lateral joined region is longer than a length, in the longitudinal direction, of the intermediate lateral joined region. 
     
     
       7. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein the constituent member joined to the absorbent core at the longitudinal joined regions, the lateral joined regions, and the intermediate lateral joined region is joined to another constituent member constituting the absorbent article. 
     
     
       8. The absorbent article according to  claim 7 , wherein elastic members that contract around the wearer's legs are arranged in the other constituent member. 
     
     
       9. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the topsheet covers an entire surface of a skin-facing surface of the absorbent core, and includes extension portions extending outward, in the article lateral direction, from respective lateral side edge portions of the absorbent core; 
 the extension portions are folded back toward a non-skin-facing surface side of the absorbent core and cover the absorbent core's non-skin-facing surface; 
 a tip-end portion of each of the topsheet's folded-back extension portions is fixed to a constituent member of the absorbent article that is adjacent on the non-skin-facing surface side; and 
 an elastic member is provided to and arranged along each of the absorbent core's lateral side edge portions, which extend along the longitudinal direction, and contractile force of the respective elastic members causes the absorbent core's lateral side edge portions, which extend along the longitudinal direction, to stand up toward the wearer's skin side. 
 
     
     
       10. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein the unit portions are spaced uniformly in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
       11. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein the absorbent units are arranged so as not to intersect with one another. 
     
     
       12. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein the unit portion is formed by using a plurality of the absorbent units, each including the long base portion with a uniform width, and by arranging the absorbent units side by side in the lateral direction and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sheet-like article. 
     
     
       13. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the unit portion, there is no intervening member present between the absorbent units adjacent to one another in the lateral direction of the long base portion. 
     
     
       14. The absorbent article according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 non-slit regions are provided in the sheet-like article; and 
 the non-slit regions include 
 a pair of longitudinal non-slit regions extending in the longitudinal direction at the respective lateral sides which are along the longitudinal direction, 
 a pair of lateral non-slit regions extending in the lateral direction at the respective end portions in the longitudinal direction, and 
 two intermediate lateral non-slit regions extending in the lateral direction, each being provided between the unit portions adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction. 
 
     
     
       15. The absorbent article according to  claim 14 , wherein the pair of longitudinal joined regions is arranged respectively in the pair of longitudinal non-slit regions on one face and the other face of the sheet-like article. 
     
     
       16. The absorbent article according to  claim 15 , wherein, in each of the longitudinal joined regions on the one face and the other face, an adhesive is applied along the respective longitudinal non-slit regions. 
     
     
       17. The absorbent article according to  claim 16 , wherein the adhesive applied to each of the longitudinal non-slit regions is arranged in a manner extending between both end portions, in the longitudinal direction, in each of the longitudinal non-slit regions. 
     
     
       18. The absorbent article according to  claim 15 , wherein the longitudinal non-slit regions on the one face and the other face each have a non-application portion, in which no adhesive is applied, formed at respective lateral-side outer edges along the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
       19. The absorbent article according to  claim 18 , wherein the non-application portion is arranged along the longitudinal joined region on the outermost side, in the lateral direction, of the longitudinal joined region. 
     
     
       20. The absorbent article according to  claim 18 , wherein the non-application portion is arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal joined region on the outermost side, in the lateral direction, of the longitudinal joined region.